It appears as if the Toronto Blue Jays will have a closer by committee for the foreseeable future.

It is no surprise that the Blue Jays decided to remove Jeff Hoffman from the closer role, with the announcement coming on Friday by general manager Ross Atkins. Hoffman has struggled so far this season and changes needed to be made.

For some time now, Hoffman’s role of closer has been hot topic of debate. After all the chances provided for the right-hander to in the role, the decision was finally made to consider other options. The right-handed pitcher has a -0.6 bWAR with a depressing 7.59 ERA in 10 and two-thirds innings of work. Visually, these numbers cannot justify him occupying the closer role.

Blue Jays management revealed that the team will close games by committee; this does not mean that Hoffman will never close a game again. “In the short term we’re going to share that responsibility, he’s still going to be getting very important outs for us” is how Atkins explained the team’s intentions for Hoffman going forward.

Hoffman’s struggle is written boldly on statistical lines across all baseball platforms. Despite this, manager John Schneider still went to bat for his closer, advising that he’d want Hoffman still out there. The decision on Friday is as clear as glass, and justifiable. Hoffman posted three blown saves in six attempts over 12 appearances; this may sound minor, but the manner in which they were blown mattered.

Hoffman struggled heavily with his command, allowing free passes, hitting batters, and getting hit hard. In his struggles, Hoffman feel behind early often, which is a recipe for disaster. That ultimately burnt him with vulnerable pitch options. Hoffman’s reliability is currently shot, as is his confidence.

Removing Hoffman from the role will be beneficial for both the club and relief pitcher, as pressure will be relieved and he will be able to focus on working back to it. For now, the Blue Jays skipper will need to rely on plays like Louis Varland and Tyler Rogers to iron out the back end of the bullpen. Hoffman will be included, however, it may not be soon or often.

The Blue Jays will look to continue winning ball games with a situational contingency on relief. So far this season, the club is currently 10-14 on the season and they’ll kick off a weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians.